S. Korea urges restraint after North's missile test

South Korean Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo speaks during the second plenary session of the 18th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual defense and security forum in Asia, in Singapore, Saturday, June 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim)

Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, left, meets with South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, center, during a ministerial luncheon on the sidelines of the 18th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual defense and security forum in Asia, in Singapore, Saturday, June 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim)

SINGAPORE – South Korea's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo is fending off calls to step up pressure on North Korea after it test-fired missiles last month.

Jeong told an annual security conference in Singapore Saturday that the tests are being investigated and a conclusion is within reach.

North Korea itself has defended the launches, saying it was exercising its right to self-defense.

The U.S. and Japan say North Korea tested short-range ballistic missiles on May 4 and 9, ending a pause that began in late 2017. Both countries called it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Jeong says Pyongyang has shown it intends to work toward peace and urged the international community to "assure North Korea that the decision to denuclearize is indeed the right decision."

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